Self-adjusting pocket hole jig

ABSTRACT

A self-adjusting pocket hole jig includes a base having a clamp end and a toggle end, a guide carried by the base and reciprocally movable between a raised position and a lowered position. A clamp assembly is carried by the base and reciprocally movable between an engaged position and a disengaged position. An adjustment mechanism is coupled between the guide and the clamp assembly. The adjustment mechanism is arranged to move the clamp assembly in a forward direction to the engaged position and correspondingly move the guide in a downward direction to the lowered position, and arranged to move the clamp assembly in a rearward direction to the disengaged position and correspondingly move the guide in an upward direction to the raised position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/378,337, filed 23 Aug. 2016.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to pocket hole jig tools, and more specificallyto pocket hole jig tools that are self-adjusting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pocket hole joinery is used extensively in woodworking as a quick andeasy way to join two wood workpieces. A pocket hole is a pilot holedrilled at an angle in a first wood workpiece to align a screw forfastening to a second workpiece. A step drill creates a counterboredhole, or pocket, for the head of the pocket screw and a smaller diameterfor body clearance. The counterbore or pocket of the pocket holesreceive the pocket hole screw heads, hiding them in the internal,underside construction areas of woodworking projects.

It is important for the pocket hole to be drilled to the correct heightin a workpiece. If the height is too small, the screw will stick throughthe surface of the joined part. If the height is too big, the joint willnot be as strong as it should be. The correct pocket height will bedifferent for different thickness of wood and different screw lengths.

Currently, various jigs have been provided for assisting in the drillingof pocket holes. However, precision and correctly measuring placement ofthe hole in a workpiece is important. Current jigs are useful incorrectly forming holes in a workpiece, but they require extensivemeasurements during positioning of a workpiece or extensive trial anderror to find the correct placement.

It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing andother deficiencies inherent in the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, to achieve the desired objects and advantages of the instantinvention, provided is a self-adjusting pocket hole jig including a basehaving a clamp end and a toggle end, a guide carried by the baseintermediate the clamp end and the toggle end, and reciprocally movablebetween a raised position and a lowered position. A clamp assembly iscarried by the base and reciprocally movable between an engaged positionwhen moved toward the guide and a disengaged position when moved awayfrom the guide. An adjustment mechanism is coupled between the guide andthe clamp assembly. The adjustment mechanism is arranged to move theclamp assembly in a forward direction to the engaged position andcorrespondingly move the guide in a downward direction to the loweredposition, and arranged to move the clamp assembly in a rearwarddirection to the disengaged position and correspondingly move the guidein an upward direction to the raised position.

In a specific aspect, provided is an adjustment mechanism including abar having a first end coupled to the clamp assembly and a second endextending from the clamp assembly under the guide to a positionproximate the toggle end. A translation mechanism is coupled between theguide and the clamp assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and further and more specific objects and advantages ofthe instant invention will become readily apparent to those skilled inthe art from the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a self-adjusting pocket hole jigaccordance with the present invention, in a lowered position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the self-adjusting pocket hole jig ofFIG. 1, in a raised position;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the self-adjusting pocket holejig of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded reversed perspective view of the self-adjustingpocket hole jig of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the jig with the base removed to showthe adjustment mechanism in the lowered position;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the jig with the base removed to showthe adjustment mechanism in the raised position;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of another embodiment of aself-adjusting pocket hole jig in accordance with the present invention,in a lowered position;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the self-adjusting pocket hole jig ofFIG. 7, in a raised position;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation illustrating the jig with a drill bit lengthdevice in a lowered position;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation illustrating the jig with the drill bitlength device in a raised position; and

FIGS. 11a-11f illustrate a guide.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Turning now to the drawings in which like reference characters indicatecorresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is firstdirected to FIGS. 1 and 2 which illustrate a self-adjusting pocket holejig, generally designated 10, in accordance with the present invention.Jig 10 includes a base 12 having a clamp end 14, a toggle end 15,opposing sides 17 and 18, and a platform 19 extending from side 17 toside 18 and positioned intermediate clamp end 14 and toggle end 15. Base12 also includes a channel 20 formed at clamp end 14 and extending fromclamp end 14 to platform 19. Portions 22 and 23 of base 12 at sides 17and 18, respectively, extend from clamp end 14 to platform 19, definechannel 20 and act as guide rails. A guide holder 25 extendssubstantially perpendicularly upwardly from platform 19. Guide holder 25includes an inwardly facing vertical slot 26, proximate side 17 and aninwardly facing vertical slot 27, proximate side 18, each extendingupwardly from platform 19. While base 12 preferably includes a planarbottom to allow it to be placed and used on a work surface, it will beunderstood that base 12 can have substantially any bottom to allow it tobe placed on a surface or fixed to a surface such as with brackets, pegsand the like.

Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 with additional reference to FIGS. 3and 4, jig 10 also includes a guide 30 carried by guide holder 25 andreciprocally movable vertically along slots 26 and 27 in an upwarddirection and a downward direction between a raised position and alowered position, respectively. Guide 30 includes a body 32 having a top33, a bottom 34 and at least one and preferably two or more guidechannels 35 extending therethrough from top 33 to a surface 36 abovebottom 34. Guide channels 35 are disposed to receive and guide the shankof a drill bit 40 (FIGS. 3 and 4). A clamp assembly 50 is carried withinchannel 20 of base 12. Clamp assembly 50 includes a carriage 52reciprocally movable within channel 20 between an engaged position(clamping a workpiece) and a disengaged position (releasing aworkpiece), and a clamp arm 54 positioned above and carried by carriage52. In the preferred embodiment, the disengaged position is whencarriage 52 is moved in a rearward direction away from guide 30, towardend 14 (also referred to as a rearward position). The engaged positionis when carriage 52 is moved in a forward direction toward guide 30,away from end 14 (also referred to as a forward position). Clamp arm 54is directed towards toggle end 15 and terminates in a foot element 55.Foot element 55 engages a work piece to hold the work piece on platform19 abutting surface 36 of guide 30 with carriage 52 in the engagedposition.

With additional reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, clamp assembly 50 isreciprocally movable between the forward position (FIGS. 1 and 5) andthe rearward position (FIGS. 2 and 6) by an adjustment mechanism 60.Guide 30 is also movable between the lowered position (FIGS. 1 and 5)and the raised position (FIGS. 2 and 6) by adjustment mechanism 60contemporaneous with the movement of clamp assembly 50. Thus, when clampassembly 50 is moved in a forward direction guide 30 is correspondinglymoved in a downward direction, and when clamp assembly 50 is moved in arearward direction guide 30 is correspondingly moved in an upwarddirection. Adjustment mechanism 60 includes a bar 62 extending fromtoggle end 15 under platform 19 and into channel 20. Bar 62 fixedlyengages carriage 52 of clamp assembly 50. When bar 62 is pushedlongitudinally toward clamp end 14, clamp assembly 50 is moved towardthe rearward position. When bar 62 is pulled longitudinally away fromthe clamp end, clamp assembly 50 is moved toward the forward position.To make movement of guide member 30 contemporaneous with movement ofclamp assembly 50, turning the horizontal linear movement of clampassembly 50 in vertical linear movement of guide 30, a translationmechanism is used. In this embodiment, the translation mechanism, a partof adjustment mechanism 60 includes a rack and pinion system. A doubleset of pinions (circular gears) are employed. A set of guide pinions 63are carried by a pin 65 extending transversely through base 12 from side17 to side 18. Guide pinions 63 are spaced apart and each positionedadjacent one of sides 17 and 18. A set of clamp pinions 68 are carriedby pin 65 and are spaced apart and each positioned inside and adjacentto one of guide pinions 63. Guide pinions 63 and clamp pinions 68 rotatetogether, so that either the adjacent pinions are fixed together, orthey are each fixed to pin 65 so as to rotate together. Clamp racks 70and 72 (linear gears) extend forwardly from carriage 52 within channel20 toward toggle end 15. Clamp racks 70 and 72 are spaced apart andparallel and engage clamp pinions 68. Guide racks 73 and 74 extenddownwardly from bottom 34 on opposing sides of body 32. Racks 73 and 74are received down through slots 26 and 27, respectively to a positionbelow platform 19 to engage guide pinions 63.

Therefore, as bar 62 moves clamp assembly 50, clamp racks 70 and 72rotate clamp pinions 68. The rotation of clamp pinions 68 also resultsin the rotation of guide pinions 63. The rotation of guide pinions 63translates into linear motion of guide racks 73 and 74, moving guide 30contemporaneously with movement of clamp assembly 50. Guide pinions 63and clamp pinions 68 can have different diameters to provide aproportional change from linear motion to rotational motion and back tolinear motion. In this manner, the distance of the horizontal linearmovement of clamp assembly 50 by bar 62 is proportionately translated toa vertical linear movement of guide 30. This translation can be fixed toa specific ratio of pinions so that as clamp assembly 50 is moved to adistanced from guide 30 to accommodate a work piece having a specificthickness, guide 30 self-adjusts, and is raised to a height with thecorrect proportions relative the thickness of the workpiece forpositioning a pocket hole. A 7/10 gear ratio is preferred, but it willbe understood that other ratios can be employed to achieve the desiredmovement of guide 30 in relation to clamp assembly 50.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 3 and 4, bar 62 is held in position by atoggle mechanism 80 carried by base 12 proximate toggle end 15. A togglemounting body 82 is coupled to base 12, and includes opposing ends 83and 84, and an elongated channel 85. An elongated actuating lever 87includes an end 88 pivotally coupled to mounting body 82 proximate end83 above elongated channel 85 at a pivot point 90 and an opposing end89. Actuating lever 87 includes, in this specific embodiment, a pivotpoint 92 extending between two parallel projections 93 extendingdownwardly from actuating lever 87 intermediate end 88 and end 89. Thetwo parallel projections 93 are spaced apart at pivot point 92 to form amounting yoke that is positioned on both sides of a link, with a pivotpin 95 extending through both parallel projections 93 and the link,which will be described presently.

Still referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, bar 62 passes through elongatedchannel 85 of body 82. A self-adjusting toggle mechanism 100 generallyincludes three pivotally linked elements designated element 104, camelement 105, and locking element 106. Element 104 has an elongated bodywith the rearward end pivotally attached between spaced apart parallelprojections 93 of actuating lever 87 at pivot point 92. The forward endof element 104 is bifurcated and the rearward end of cam element 105 ispivotally mounted in the bifurcation. Also, the forward end of element104 has a vertically upwardly extending boss 108 formed thereon with ahorizontally extending (generally parallel to element 104) threadedopening therethrough. An adjustment screw 109 is threadedly engaged inthe opening and is oriented so that the forwardly extending end ismovable. The front end of cam element 105 is pivotally engaged in abifurcated rearward end of locking element 106 and the front end oflocking element 106 is slideably engaged over bar 62. The front end ofcam element 105 defines an upwardly and forwardly facing pressureadjustment surface positioned to engage the front end of adjustmentscrew 109 and adjust downward pivotal movement of self adjusting togglemechanism 100.

Actuating lever 87 is movable between an opened position and a closedposition to clamp a work piece between clamp assembly 50 and guide 30.In the opened position of actuating lever 87, bar 62 is movable toadjust the position of clamp assembly 50 against a work piece. Lockingelement 106 is positioned for sliding movement in relation to bar 62. Inthe open position, bar 62 is manually pulled so that foot 55 engages thework piece. Contemporaneously, guide 30 is raised or lowered to thecorresponding proportional height for the thickness of the workpiece. Inresponse to pivotal movement of actuating lever 87 toward base 12,pressure foot 55 is moved toward guide 30 until it engages the workpiece disposed on platform 19 and element 104 pivots, which causes camelement 105 to pivot toward bar 62 at the union of elements 105 and 106.As element 104 and 105 pivot, locking element 106 moves toward bar 62and the angular disposition of cam element 105 and element 104 relativeto bar 62 progressively lessens. With pressure foot 55 engaged againstthe work piece, continued movement of actuating lever 87 toward base 12drives toggle mechanism 50, causing locking element 106 to slideforwardly and elements 104 and 105 to pivot toward bar 62 until thepoint at which the bottom surface of cam element 105 bears against bar62. At the point of contact between cam element 105 and bar 62, camelement 105 pivots ever so slightly away from bar 62 and drives lockingelement 106 away from bar 62 at the junction of elements 105 and 106,which causes locking element 106 to cant and thus frictionally engagebar 62. Cam element 105 thus acts as a lever, driving locking element106 so as to cause it to cant and frictionally engage bar 62 in responseto the force applied to actuating lever 87 in a direction toward base12, which force is transferred to cam element 105 by element 104. Thisfrictional engagement frictionally locks locking element 106 to bar 62.In response to continued force applied to actuating lever 87 toward base12 and with locking element 106 frictionally locked against bar 62, aclamping pressure is applied by pressure foot 55 to the work piece. Inthe closed position of actuating lever 87, an over-the-center lockingoccurs at element 104 in relation to the pivoting action that takesplace between actuating lever 87 and element 104 and between element 104and cam element 515, thus locking actuating lever 87 in the closedposition. This process takes place regardless of the size of the workpiece positioned between pressure foot 55 and guide 30 because of theself adjusting feature. This structure is not described in furtherdetail as it is fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,211,635, entitledSELF-ADJUSTING BAR CLAMP, filed Aug. 1, 2014 and issued Dec. 15, 2015,incorporated herein by reference. While a self-adjusting togglemechanism is employed in the preferred embodiment, it will be understoodthat other types of locks or conventional toggle mechanisms, and thelike can be employed to retain bar 62 in position.

Turning now to FIGS. 7 and 8, a self-adjusting pocket hole jig generallydesignated 110 is illustrated. Jig 110 is substantially identical to jig10, with an adjustment mechanism 160 replacing adjustment mechanism 60.In this embodiment, horizontal linear movement is translated to verticallinear movement by translation mechanism different than that describedpreviously. The translation mechanism, a part of adjustment mechanism160 includes wedges instead of rack and pinion gears. Jig 110 includes aclamp end 114 and a toggle end 115. A bar 162 passes through aself-adjusting toggle mechanism 180 and is coupled to a clamp assembly150. A wedge block 170 having a sloped surface 172 facing towards clampassembly 150 is fixedly carried by bar 162 underlying and engaging aguide 130. A bottom 134 of guide 130 is formed into a wedge shape with asloped surface 174 facing away from clamp assembly 150. Sloped surface172 and sloped surface 174 are in a parallel and abutting relationship.As wedge block 170 is moved toward clamp end 114, wedge block 170 slidesalong sloped surface 174 of guide 130, forcing guide 130 upwardly. Aswedge block 170 is moved away from clamp end 114, sloped surface 174slides down sloped surface 172 of wedge block 170, lowering guide 130.Thus, the movement of guide 130 is contemporaneous with the movement ofclamp assembly 150. The relative movements of clamp assembly 150 andguide 130 can be adjusted by altering the angle of sloped surfaces 172and 174.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, jig 10 is illustrated including a drillbit length device 210 for establishing the length of a drill bit 40 forthe drilling depth to be used with jig 10 at the setting employed. Itwill be understood that drill bit length device 210 can be used with jig110 or jig 10. FIG. 9 illustrates guide 30 in the lowered position. Ascan be seen, a drill bit 40 extends through guide 30 and out pastsurface 36 the correct distance for forming a pocket hole in a workpiece. Drill bit 40 can only extend a distance limited by a collar 212fastened to the shank 214 of drill bit 40. To properly position collar212, drill bit 40 is positioned through adjustment ring 116 extendingfrom top 33 of guide 30 and received by tip receptacle 118 extendingfrom the side of guide holder 25. The distance between adjustment ring116 and tip receptacle 118 varies with the raised distance of guide 30.For thin work pieces, clamp assembly 50 is close to guide 30, and guide30 is in a lowered position (FIG. 9). A shallower pocket hole isrequired, and this distance is provided by the distance betweenadjustment ring 116 and tip receptacle 118 being shorter to match therequired distance. When a thicker work piece is employed, clamp assembly50 is further away from guide 30, resulting in an increased or raisedheight of guide 30 (FIG. 10). The raised height increases the distancebetween adjustment ring 116 and tip receptacle 118, providing the exactlength needed for drill bit 40. When drill bit 40 is positioned in drillbit length device 210 with the jig clamping a work piece, the properdrill bit length is at the top of adjustment ring 216. Collar 212 ispositioned over shank 214 abutting adjustment ring 216 and tightenedinto place on shank 214 such as by using a set screw. When the drill bitis removed an inserted through guide channel 35 of guide 30, the drilldepth is set appropriate to the work piece being used.

Turning now to FIGS. 11a-11f , a guide 230 is illustrated. Guide 230includes at least one and preferably two or more guide channel elements232 selectively positionable within a guide body 233. By positioningguide elements 232 in different locations within guide body 233, thelocation, number and spacing of pocket holes can be adjusted as desired.Guide 230 is receivable and operable in the same manner as guide 30described previously. It can also be modified to include a wedge bottomto operate in a manner similar to guide 130.

Various changes and modifications to the embodiments herein chosen forpurposes of illustration will readily occur to those skilled in the art.To the extent that such modifications and variations do not depart fromthe spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within thescope thereof, which is assessed only by a fair interpretation of thefollowing claims.

Having fully described the invention in such clear and concise terms asto enable those skilled in the art to understand and practice the same,

The invention claimed is:
 1. A self-adjusting pocket hole jigcomprising: a base having a clamp end and a toggle end; a guide carriedby the base intermediate the clamp end and the toggle end, andreciprocally movable between a raised position and a lowered position,the guide including at least one guide channels; a clamp assemblycarried by the base and reciprocally movable between an engaged positionwhen moved toward the guide and a disengaged position when moved awayfrom the guide; and an adjustment mechanism coupled between the guideand the clamp assembly, the adjustment mechanism arranged to move theclamp assembly in a forward direction to the engaged position andcorrespondingly move the guide in a downward direction to the loweredposition, and arranged to move the clamp assembly in a rearwarddirection to the disengaged position and correspondingly move the guidein an upward direction to the raised position.
 2. The self-adjustingpocket hole jig as claimed in claim 1 further including a guide holderextending upwardly from the base intermediate the clamp end and thetoggle end, the guide holder receiving and retaining the guide forreciprocal movement between the raised position and the loweredposition.
 3. The self-adjusting pocket hole jig as claimed in claim 2wherein the guide holder includes a first inwardly facing vertical slotproximate a first side of the base and a second inwardly facing verticalslot proximate an opposing second side of the base, each extendingupwardly from the base and receiving the guide.
 4. The self-adjustingpocket hole jig as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adjustment mechanismcomprises: a bar having a first end coupled to the clamp assembly and asecond end extending from the clamp assembly under the guide to aposition proximate the toggle end; and a translation mechanism coupledbetween the guide and the clamp assembly.
 5. The self-adjusting pockethole jig as claimed in claim 4 wherein the adjustment mechanism furtherincludes a toggle mechanism carried by the base proximate the toggleend, the toggle mechanism receives the second end of the bar and ismovable between a closed position, holding the bar immovable, and anopen position allowing sliding movement of the bar.
 6. Theself-adjusting pocket hole jig as claimed in claim 4 wherein thetranslation mechanism comprises: a pin extending transversely throughthe base intermediate the clamp end and the toggle end; a first guidepinion carried by an end of the pin; a second guide pinion carried bythe opposing end of the pin; a first clamp pinion carried by the end ofthe pin and fixed to the first guide pinion to rotate therewith; asecond clamp pinion carried by the opposing end of the pin and fixed tothe second guide pinion to rotate therewith; a first clamp rack and asecond clamp rack extend forwardly for opposing sides of the clampassembly toward toggle end and engage the first clamp pinion and thesecond clamp pinion, respectively; and a first guide rack and a secondguide rack extend downwardly from opposing sides of the guide and engagethe first guide pinion and the second guide pinion, respectively;wherein movement of the clamp assembly causes linear movement of thefirst and second clamp racks thereby rotating the first and the secondclamp pinions, resulting in rotation of the first and second guidepinions, thereby moving the first and second guide racks in a linearmotion perpendicular to the first and second clamp racks.
 7. Theself-adjusting pocket hole jig as claimed in claim 6 wherein the firstand second guide pinions have a diameter larger than a diameter of thefirst and second clamp pinions.
 8. The self-adjusting pocket hole jig asclaimed in claim 7 wherein the ratio of the first and second clamppinions to the first and second guide pinions is a 7/10 ratio.
 9. Theself-adjusting pocket hole jig as claimed in claim 4 wherein thetranslation mechanism comprises: a wedge block having a sloped surfacefacing towards the clamp assembly fixedly carried by the bar underlyingand engaging the guide; and a bottom of the guide formed into a wedgeshape with a sloped surface facing away from the clamp assembly, thesloped surface of the wedge block and the sloped surface of the guideengaging in a parallel and abutting relationship; wherein, as the wedgeblock is moved toward the clamp end, the wedge block slides along thesloped surface of the guide, forcing the guide upwardly, and as thewedge block is moved away from the clamp end the sloped surface of theguide slides down the sloped surface of the wedge block, lowering theguide.
 10. The self-adjusting pocket hole jig as claimed in claim 1further includes a drill bit length device comprising: an adjustmentring extending from a top of the guide for receiving a drill bittherethrough; and a tip receptacle extending from the base for receivingthe tip of the drill bit; wherein the adjustment ring moves with themovement of the guide, varying the distance from the tip receptacle anddetermining a length of the drill to be used.
 11. The self-adjustingpocket hole jig as claimed in claim 1 further including a bar having afirst end coupled to the clamp assembly and a second end extending fromthe clamp assembly under the guide to a position proximate the toggleend.
 12. The self-adjusting pocket hole jig as claimed in claim 11further including a toggle mechanism carried by the base proximate thetoggle end, the toggle mechanism receives the second end of the bar andis movable between a closed position, holding the bar immovable, and anopen position allowing sliding movement of the bar.
 13. Theself-adjusting pocket hole jig as claimed in claim 11 wherein thetranslation mechanism comprises: a wedge block having a sloped surfacefacing towards the clamp assembly fixedly carried by the bar underlyingand engaging the guide; and a bottom of the guide formed into a wedgeshape with a sloped surface facing away from the clamp assembly, thesloped surface of the wedge block and the sloped surface of the guideengaging in a parallel and abutting relationship; wherein, as the wedgeblock is moved toward the clamp end, the wedge block slides along thesloped surface of the guide, forcing the guide upwardly, and as thewedge block is moved away from the clamp end the sloped surface of theguide slides down the sloped surface of the wedge block, lowering theguide.
 14. A self-adjusting pocket hole jig comprising: a base having aclamp end and a toggle end; a guide carried by the base intermediate theclamp end and the toggle end, and reciprocally movable between a raisedposition and a lowered position, the guide including at least one guidechannels; a clamp assembly carried by the base and reciprocally movablebetween an engaged position when moved toward the guide and a disengagedposition when moved away from the guide; and a translation mechanismcoupled between the guide and the clamp assembly, the translationmechanism being configured to move the guide in a downward direction tothe lowered position when the clamp assembly is moved in a forwarddirection, and configured to move the guide in an upward direction tothe raised position when the clamp assembly is moved in a rearwarddirection.
 15. The self-adjusting pocket hole jig as claimed in claim 14further including a guide holder extending upwardly from the baseintermediate the clamp end and the toggle end, the guide holderreceiving and retaining the guide for reciprocal movement between theraised position and the lowered position.
 16. The self-adjusting pockethole jig as claimed in claim 15 wherein the guide holder includes afirst inwardly facing vertical slot proximate a first side of the baseand a second inwardly facing vertical slot proximate an opposing secondside of the base, each extending upwardly from the base and receivingthe guide.
 17. The self-adjusting pocket hole jig as claimed in claim 14wherein the translation mechanism comprises: a pin extendingtransversely through the base intermediate the clamp end and the toggleend; a first guide pinion carried by an end of the pin; a second guidepinion carried by the opposing end of the pin; a first clamp pinioncarried by the end of the pin and fixed to the first guide pinion torotate therewith; a second clamp pinion carried by the opposing end ofthe pin and fixed to the second guide pinion to rotate therewith; afirst clamp rack and a second clamp rack extend forwardly for opposingsides of the clamp assembly toward toggle end and engage the first clamppinion and the second clamp pinion, respectively; and a first guide rackand a second guide rack extend downwardly from opposing sides of theguide and engage the first guide pinion and the second guide pinion,respectively; wherein movement of the clamp assembly causes linearmovement of the first and second clamp racks thereby rotating the firstand the second clamp pinions, resulting in rotation of the first andsecond guide pinions, thereby moving the first and second guide racks ina linear motion perpendicular to the first and second clamp racks. 18.The self-adjusting pocket hole jig as claimed in claim 17 wherein thefirst and second guide pinions have a diameter larger than a diameter ofthe first and second clamp pinions.
 19. The self-adjusting pocket holejig as claimed in claim 18 wherein the ratio of the first and secondclamp pinions to the first and second guide pinions is a 7/10 ratio. 20.The self-adjusting pocket hole jig as claimed in claim 14 furtherincludes a drill bit length device comprising: an adjustment ringextending from a top of the guide for receiving a drill bittherethrough; and a tip receptacle extending from the base for receivingthe tip of the drill bit; wherein the adjustment ring moves with themovement of the guide, varying the distance from the tip receptacle anddetermining a length of the drill to be used.